Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Papua New Guinea instead of Mexico, you would:
Health
be 26.3% less likely to be obese
In Mexico, 28.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 21.3% of people as of 2016.
live 2.9 years less
In Mexico, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 69 years (68 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 80.5% less money
Mexico has a GDP per capita of $22,000 as of 2024, while in Papua New Guinea, the GDP per capita is $4,300 as of 2024.
pay a 20.0% higher top tax rate
Mexico has a top tax rate of 35.0% as of 2016. In Papua New Guinea, the top tax rate is 42.0% as of 2016.
Life
have 87.2% more children
In Mexico, there are approximately 14.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2025. In Papua New Guinea, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2025.
be 4.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Mexico, approximately 42.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, 189.0 women do as of 2023.
be 26.2% less likely to be literate
In Mexico, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, it is 70.1% as of 2017.
be 2.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Mexico, approximately 11.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, on the other hand, 33.6 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 81.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Mexico, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, 19% of the population do as of 2022.
be 70.4% less likely to have internet access
In Mexico, approximately 81.0% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Papua New Guinea, about 24.0% do as of 2023.
be 49.6% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Mexico, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 50% of people on average (87% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 67.4% less on education
Mexico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Papua New Guinea spends 1.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 59.7% less on healthcare
Mexico spends 6.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 2.5% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 44.8% less coastline
Mexico has a total of 9,330 km of coastline. In Papua New Guinea, that number is 5,152 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Servicio de Administración Tributaria, SHCP, Internal Revenue Commission, Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea: At a glance
How big is Papua New Guinea compared to Mexico? See an in-depth size comparison.